Jesus Is All We Need: 10 Devotions to Experience the Rescuing Love of GodSample

Jesus is the One Who Determines Outcomes

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. COLOSSIANS 1:15 NLT

People used to tell me I could accomplish anything I put my mind to. If I believed in myself and worked hard, everything would work out.

That sounded great until the failures began to pile up. As a kid, I worked as hard as I possibly could to keep my parents from getting divorced, but they split up anyway. As a paramedic firefighter, I tried my best to save the life of every single person I was called to help. I had all the training, all the skills, and all the desire, but people still died. I wasn't the maker of my own destiny like I'd been promised.

It wasn't until I understood Jesus is supreme over everything that life began to make more sense.

We try to fix ourselves. We try to fix our kids. We try to fix our friends and family members. Heck, some of us even try to fix strangers. But our job isn't to be in charge of every outcome. In fact, we can't truly control any outcome. Sometimes even our best efforts just aren't enough.

Outcomes are God's job. As Christians, our only job is to obediently follow Jesus wherever He leads us. Whether Jesus asks us to pray for someone, move across the globe, or anything in between, we can feel His peace. Jesus is supreme over everything, and that includes our problems and our pain. It includes our questions and doubts. And when we lean into His eternal perfection and ask Him to handle the outcomes, He will.

Takeaway: God knew you would need Jesus to guide you through this fallen world.

Prayer: God, thank You that outcomes aren't up to me. Help me to trust You to be in control of every outcome, and help me to follow where You lead.